PRESS

Articles authored by Baylis Partners:

The developmental difference of African private equity

25 JANUARY 2017

Economic development efforts in Africa have traditionally been the purview of foreign aid agencies, NGOs, multilateral finance institutions, and African governmental spending. That is poised for change as African private equity is maturing as an industry.

The missing middle in African private equity

24 OCTOBER 2016

Given the dire need to create jobs for millions of young people and the positive outlook for small and medium size companies, the middle-market Africa PE space should be of greater focus for institutional investors and their gatekeepers.

African PE must rise to job creation challenge

15 JUNE 2017

Mass job creation is the central economic development challenge in Africa. Given the demographic trajectory of most
African countries, the need to generate employment for growing numbers of young people is unprecedented in human
history.

Driving gender equity in African business

23 May 2018

Having women on boards and in senior management positions of companies has shown to yield not only social financial benefits as well. Despite this firms around the world are falling short. Private equity, in Africa and Emerging Markets in particular, is in a unique position to drive the adoption of an operational gender focus within their portfolio companies.

Private Equity in Africa can drive gender equity

07 MARCH 2017

Across the world, it seems, women are good for business. From North America to Southeast Asia, companies perform better when women are in leadership roles. Yet they remain under-represented. One area in which women can make a catalytic impact is the private equity ecosystem.

Opinion: How to close Africa's jobs gap

06 NOVEMBER 2017

Africa is creating new jobs, but it’s simply not enough. Accelerating job creation in African countries requires: implementing a modern industrial strategy; investing in “islands of effectiveness” within the public sector; and diversified partner pools.

New investments aim to propel small business growth in Africa

10 DECEMBER 2018

African small businesses face an uphill battle attracting equity investments and are constrained by a funding .gap of as much as $140 billion. Recent commitments from the US, Germany and South African technology company Naspers have the potential to create a cascading effect that could attract more investors.

Making Africa great again

08 FEBRUARY 2018

It was only a few years ago when an infectious wave of optimism poured over African shores. However, the last two years have seen a marked slowdown in LP commitments to the continent; existing GPs have had difficulty attracting support for follow-on fund offerings and new managers have struggled to get off the ground.

When you have to call the president to solve a business problem

12 DECEMBER 2016

Understanding the level of government at which a decision has to be made in order to solve a problem can be critical to doing business in some African markets.

New agency will boost US investment in emerging markets

08 AUGUST 2018

Since the 1950s, and the end of the Marshall Plan, the US has ceded leadership on development finance to multilateral institutions and stepped into the background. Passage of the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development (BUILD) Act offers the opportunity to return the US to a Competitive global footing in commercial diplomacy.

Africa: Keeping the lights on Power Africa

20 MARCH 2017

While the future policy remains undecided, the opportunities in the power sector across Africa are obvious. In Nigeria, west Africa's economic engine with one of Africa's fastest growing populations, only 25 percent of some 180 million people have access to regular electricity.

African nations are carrying the torch of free trade

28 JUNE 2018

While the biggest global economies are going tit for tat in anti-trade rhetoric, African nations are quietly emerging as the unexpected defenders of free trade. Rapid progress is being made toward the establishment of a single, multi-trillion dollar African market.

Historic free trade agreement will be a boon to African growth

22 MARCH 2018

African countries launched a historic free trade agreement at the African Union Summit in Rwanda on Wednesday, establishing the largest free trade market since the formation of the World Trade Organization.

US development agency should take a lead in Africa

14 DECEMBER 2018

With the passage of the Build Act and establishment of the US International Development Finance Corporation (USIDFC), the US has a unique opportunity to lead development finance institutions (DFIs) in streamlining the fundraising process to provide increased, broader capital to African markets, helping African businesses and diversifying US portfolios.